Reciprocatory internal-combustion engine



Aug. 18; 1915. 1,550,643

F. A. BULLINGTON nEc-nrnocnom INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed July 12, 1923' 2 Sheats-$heat 1 "lug. 18, 1925.

F. A. BULLZNGTON ZEQIYMATORY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Fild July 1 1933 I 2 Shams-Sham 2 [NV/SNTOR A IYCTOXNE y a sterilized 33, 1925.

FRANK A. *BULLINGTON, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO BULLINGTON MGTORS, F KAIISAS CITY, MISSOURI, A COMMON LAW TRUST.

RESIPROGATGBY INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE;

Application filed July 12, 1923. Serial No. 851,042.

To all 107mm '51 may, corms-r21:

lie it known that l. FRANK A. BULLING TON, a 01 an of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State or lvlissouri, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Reciprocat ory lnterutil-Combustion Engines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact dcsc 'iption of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawand the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines and the prime object thereof is to provide an engine which will possess certain inherent advantages over those engines which are now made according to standard *engine parctice.

For example, my invention contemplates an internai combustion engine in which the expansion ratio of the working fluid-is considerably excess of the compression ratio of the engine and I have so constructed the engine that there will be a constant compression irrespective of variations in the quantity value of the admitted charge. so presslon is insured by admitting varying quantities of volumetric fluid into the cylinder, the greater the fuel charge, the lesser the quantity of volumetric fluid and vice versa. In each case, however, the expansion ratio 5 is greater than the compression ratio so that the full expansion value of the exploded' charge may be used to perform useful work.

In carrying out the invention, the subject matter oi the present application, I employ an a reciprocatory sleeve valve which may be .movable longitudinally of the cylinder and which covers and uncovers port cuttings in the cylinder to admit the volumetric fluid into the working chamber at about the end 'and the fluid The comadmitted through the volumetric inlet ports makes up for the difierence between the two strokes.

The amount of volumetric fluid may vary according to the amount of fuel introduced into the cylinder, the variation being in inverse ratio; that is, the greater the amount of fuel, the lesser the volumetric fluid and vice versa.

'lhe reciprocatory sleeve valve may partake of various iforms but I have shown my invention applied to the well known Knight engine in which the cylinder block is pro vidcd with two co-operatiug internal sleeve valves for opening and closing the admission and exhaust ports of the cylinder and in a modified form I have shown the invention as applied to the ordinary poppet valve type of engine.

I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to any particular adaptation of my invention to any particular engine but I reserve the right to make such changes in form, proportion and minor details of construction as properly come within the scopeof the appended claims.

In the 'drawings,

Fig. l is a sectional view through a known type of engine to which my invention is applied, the iiucl intake ports being shown as just closing. V

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the piston at the beginning of the compression stroke with the pressure fluid ports shown as beginning to close.

Fig. 3 is a similar view at the end of the expansion stroke and at the opening of the exhaust stroke, all the other ports being closed. I i

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the valve crank shaft, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the invention applied to a poppet valve type of engine.

referring now to the drawings by numerals of reference: i

1 designates the engine block of the well known type of engine known as the Knight engine. 2 and 3 are the sleeve valves which are operated by the connecting rods 1- and 5 on the valve crank shaft (3, which is adapted to receive its motion from the main crank shaft 7 in any appropriate manner. piston 8 drives the main crank shaft through the connecting rod 9 in the usual way, it being understood, of course, that the speed of The the crank shaft 6 is half the speed oi. the crank shaft 7 As the piston 8 rotates thecrank shaft 7, it in turn communicates motion to the valve crank shaft 6 and through the connecting rods 4 and 5, the sleeves 2 and 3 are reciprocated to intermittently open the incl inlet ports 10 and 11 (that is, to cause them to register with the intake port 12) and to intermittently register the exhaust port openings 13 and l lwvith the exhaust port 15 in the engine block. The opening and closing of the inlet and exhaust ports is accomplished in alternate relation. as is well understood, and since the principle of the well known Knightengine is so thoroughly understood by those skilled in the art, it is thought it is unnecessary to elaborate on either its functional arrangement or the advantages to be derived therefrom.

()ne of the disadvantages of the type of engine just described is that the effective compression stroke and the effective expansion stroke of the piston are the same so it is apparent that the burnt gases will be exhausted before complete expansion hastaken.

place. I have provided means whereby the engine may have a constant compression and t a constant expansion but with this difieronce The expansion stroke is greater than the compression strokeso thatthe full expansion value of the burnt gases may act on the piston to thereby increase the efliciency of the engine.

In order to accomplish the desired result I provide the port cuttings 16 and 17 in the two sleeve valves 2 and 3 and cause them to register with the opening 18 in the cylinder wall, the opening 18 communicating the interior of the working cvlinder with a chamber 19 in which may be located the volumetric fluid as, for example, air. The chamber 19 may have a loaded valve 20 normally seated by the spring 21-and which will permit the valve 20 to unseat only upon a pressure drpp in chamber 19. ---When the piston 8 moves on its effec ive fuel intake stroke, the ports 10 and 11 will register with the port 12 to permit afuel charge to be drawn into the working cylinder or compression chamber of the engine.

The intake stroke of the piston will create apartial vacuum in the compression chamber 1 until the top of the piston. has moved past the port cuttings 16 and17 which, at this time, will be registering with the port 18 to lit) admit a volumetric fluid into the cylinder of the engine. The moment that the piston uncovers the ports 16 and 1'7, the volumetric fluid will rush into the cylinder to destroy the vacuum and equalize the pressure in the cylinder and it will continue to enter the cylinder until the piston has reached the limit of its intake stroke or until the crank shaft is at bottom dead center The move I accuses meat of the piston outwardly beyond the ports 17 and 18 is not part of the efiective duel intake stroke as such movement only sauses volumetric fluid br air to enter the cylinder, the admission of the air being solely for the purpose of filling the space between the bottom of the compression chamber and the top of the piston. If the throttle for the engine is partially closed, there will be a greater vacuum created in the cylinder by the piston than would he the case if the throttle were open. Therefore, the greater the fuel charge, the lesser the volumetric charge and it is to be here noted that the volumetric charge is stratified with respect to the fuel charge so that as the piston moves on its compression stroke, part of the fluid entering from chamber 19 will pass out into the chamber again and only that portion of the fluid which is above the openings 17 and 18 will be trapped iii the cylinder. As the cylinder moves up on. its compression stroke, the fuel and whatever volumetric fluid has been trapped will be compressed and the fuel will then be 0011! busted by a spark plug such as 22- or by some other suitable means. Then the piston "will move on its expansion stroke and asitmoves past the ports 16 in sleeve valve 3, the ports 16 will be out of register with the 'pd'rts 1'? so the burnt gases will continue to expand until the pistonhas reached about the position shown in Fig. 3.

into the cylinder to equalize the pressure therein.

The admission ports for the intake for the fuel and volumetric fluid are arranged about the axis of the cylinder so that the in comin fluid will enter the cylinder in. a. stratified condition. For example, the inlet ports 10 and 11 are arranged about de grees apart and there are three of thesr ports which simultaneously admit the fuel charge to stratify with the trapped burnt gases; the fourth set of ports 13, 11-, and 15 bein exhaust ports, as will be clearly nudes stood by reference to the drawings.

lVhile I have preferred to show my invention as applied to the so-called Knight en gine, it is not limited to such a construction because the same generic principle can be applied to a poppet valve engine, as will be apparent by reference to Fig.

In Fig. 5 the cylinder 23 shom'i 3.2,

provided with the usual intake valve 24, there being an exhaust Valve (not shown) and a spark plug ljhe engine functions l? ordinary poppet valve except that sleeved about the cylinder 23 is a sleeve valve :26 which is operated by a cam 27 on a cam shaft 28, receiving its motion in any a' oi'opriatc manner from the main crank aft 7. The sleeve valve 26 moves back and forth to cover and uncover the ports 29 in the cylinder. The lower port of the cylinder is preferably enclosed by a crank case 3-0so that volumetric lluid may enter through the ports 29 from the crank case so, if desired, 1 may employ a valve like in 1 to the crank case to admit a fr sh supply of air in the vent that there is a pressure drop in the CItfll. case or I may obtain the air through the usual breather The valve 26 will function substanlike the valves 2 and 3 to alternately t c and close ports 2-9, the movement of the valve 26, of course, being timed with sweet to the piston 31 which is driven from A nl: tl rough the connecting rod "l be apparent from the foregoing t all engine constructed in accordance "h my invention may have improved st cucy due to the fact that it has constant 5 co i'rcssion and constant expansion, the

51011 ratio being greater than the compression ratio and that this can be acc0mplish'ed by a reciprocatory valve in sleeved. rel in with the cylinder, an ideal condition being); the application of my invention to the well. known type of Knight, engine although as above explained, the generic embodiment of my invention may partake of VtillGlIS forms lo view of the. fact that the volumetric or air is stratified on top of the piston tvrecn the piston. and the fuel charge, ent that when the piston its scaven 'iug stroke all of the ,5 s will be T01 ted, out. of the cylinauso they will be displaced by the (.l air, cousejucutly complete scavlindcr will talco place for o crations ot' each piston.

i r be thoroughly scavenged, so functions both. as a volun'itric fluid scavenging medium. gained by providing co11- i .L ,1- "1 st us coo m the W6] icing ciambcrs oi the cylinders are follow:

rs irrespective of the amuont of cod fuel charge. As a result, the admitted muiunum fuel charge Will be under introduced. fuel will not be I the cylinder to admit a non-combusti 1e voluis a uniform hi 'h com rcssion in the same compression as the admitted maximum fuel charge; consequently the same eflicicncy will be maintained under all conditions.

Of course, in actual practice a. sharp line of dcmarkation will not be maintained be tween the fuel and the volumetric air but it. will be maintained for all practical purposes; for example, in that type of motor in which the Working chamber of the cylinder has a uniform cross section there is do I turbulence in the exploded charge, therefore, the volumetric fluid or air strata will not be appreciably disturbed. Hence it will not dilute the fuel mixture nor will it mix with 30 the explodedcharge to an extent sufii'cient to destroy the value of the volumetric air as a. scavenging medium.

ll/liat I claim and desire to secure by Lettors Patent is:

l. A reciprocatory internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder having a Working chamber to receive fuel, combust it and exhaust the burnt gases, the cylinder having a portion extending below the cifective compression portion of the Working chamber, a reciprocatory piston in the cylinder having an expansion stroke in excess of its effective compression stroke, and a reciprocatory valve for admitting hon-combustible volumetric fluid into the cylinder at about the end of the. effective intake stroke of the piston. V

2. A reciprocatory internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder functioning to 100 receive fuel, combust it and exhaust the burnt gases, the cylinder having port cuttiugs at the end of the ellective compression portion of the cylinder, a reciprocatory piston in the cylinder movable outwardly past 105 the port cuttings, and a reciprocatory valve for uncovering; the port cuttings at about the time the piston moves past the port cuttings during its intake stroke, the uncovering of the port cuttings being ell'cctive in admitting non-combustible volun'ictric fluid into the cylinder.

3. It reciprocatory internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder to receive fuel, combust it and exhaust the burnt gases, a reciprocatory piston in the cylinder having a movement b yond the point at which it is effective to draw fuel into the cylinder, and reciprocatory valve to uncover ports in metric fluid thercinto at the end of the effective fuel intake stroke of the piston.

l. A. rcciprocatory internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder to receive fuel, combust it and cxl'iaust the burnt gases, a reciprocatory piston in the cylinder having a. movement,beyond the point at which it is c-[l'cctive to draw fuel into the cylinder, and a icciprocatory valve to uncover ports in the cylinder to admit a non-combustible volumetric fluid thereinto at the end of the eifective fuel intake stroke of the piston, the fuel fluid and the volumetric fluid being received in the cylinder in strata,

5. A reciprocatory internal combustion engine having a. cylinder to receive fuel, combust it and exhaust theburnt gases, reciprccetciy'valve means for controlling the inti'cduction cf the fuel into the cylinder and the discharge of the burnt gases there from, the reciprocatory valve means being efieetive in admitting non-combustible v01umetric fluid in strata, into thecylinder at I 'gine comprising a, cylinder having a We: 1

about the time the 'iiuei intake ceases, e1" piston in the cylinder having an ffecti've pension stroke greeter than its ctive c pression stroke.

6. A. i'ecipi'ocatery internal ccmbusticn chamber to receive fuei, cembust it and heust the burnt gases, 2, piston in. ides der, and a reciprccetcry valve fer ed; n011-c0mbustib1e volumetric iinid i cylinder to maintain constant cam;

In testimcny whereof I effiz: 

